Conflicts in the convents of Poitiers and Tours (second half of the 6th century)

N.Yu. Bikeeva

Kazan Federal University, Kazan, 420008 Russia

E-mail: Natalia.Bikeeva@kpfu.ru

Received December 27, 2021

ORIGINAL ARTICLE

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DOI: 10.26907/2541-7738.2022.3.134-146

For citation: Bikeeva N.Yu. Conflicts in the convents of Poitiers and Tours (second half of the 6th century). Uchenye Zapiski Kazanskogo Universiteta. Seriya Gumanitarnye Nauki, 2022, vol. 164, no. 3, pp. 134–146. doi: 10.26907/2541-7738.2022.3.134-146. (In Russian)

Abstract

The article discusses the causes of conflict situations in the convents of Poitiers and Tours. These incidents show that noble women of the Frankish Kingdom actively participated in the political events of the country during the second half of the 6th century. The motives that prompted Bishop Gregory of Tours to write about these events in his famous historical essay are revealed. The tendentiousness of the author, who created the images of the participants and described the course of the events based on his own goals and objectives, is noted. It is concluded that women of the Merovingian epoch could openly participate in various political events, including the use of violence. The involvement of nuns in uprisings and riots was not always assessed negatively by the contemporaries. When it was profitable, secular authorities supported the organizers of conflicts and even saved them from church punishment. The Church could also use the women’s rebellions to its advantage. Modern researchers must take into account the rhetoric of sources, as well as the motives and intentions of their authors. The causes of the uprisings were complex, with conflicts playing an important role in the struggle for political gain and influence between various branches of government.

Keywords: convent, Poitiers, Tours, bishop, Gregory of Tours, Frankish Kingdom, Merovingians, Radegund

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